What causes breast pain?
If your boobs hurt, your mind may jump right away to the “C” word. But chances are slim that breast pain is breast cancer.“Breast pain alone is rarely, rarely associated with cancer,” says Monique Swain, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist in the breast division at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
There are two types of breast pain: Cyclical pain is associated with your period and most often affects both breasts. Noncyclical pain is due to any other reason and doesn’t follow a monthly pattern. It can affect one or both breasts, all of the breast, or just part of it.
Most breast pain goes away on its own or can be easily treated. Talk to a doctor if the pain doesn’t go away in a week or two or if it gets in the way of normal activities. You should also contact a doctor if you have other symptoms, including a lump that’s not related to your period, discharge from your nipple, or signs of infection like redness, swelling, and warmth.
Breas Plan Causes
Here are some possible reasons why you have breast pain.
You're getting your period
Two-thirds of breast pain is caused by the predictable surges of estrogen and progesterone around your monthly period.“Hormonal breast pain can happen to any woman that is menstruating,” Dr. Swain says. “It doesn’t matter if they’re 14 or 44, as long as they’re still menstruating they have the risk of having cyclic breast pain.”
You’ll usually feel period-related boob pain in both breasts at once and all over your breasts. Most people describe the pain as achy rather than sharp.
For some women, it’s enough just to know that the pain will go away, usually in a week to 10 days. Other women seek relief from over-the-counter pain medications. There is one FDA-approved prescription drug for breast pain, called danazol, but it (as well as other prescription painkillers) can have serious side effects.
Tweaking your diet may limit menstrual breast pain as well: Eating more flaxseed might help, as can sticking to a low-fat diet that’s rich in complex carbs, says Dr. Swain.
You're pregnant
The first trimester of pregnancy brings a swirl of hormones that can cause not only mood changes, food cravings, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, but also breast pain.Breast tissue grows, milk ducts fill, and nipples become sensitive, says Jennifer Wu, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The pain is due to “acute hormonal changes,” she says, including in human chorionic gonadotropin. “You’re going from zero HCG hormone all the way up.”
The pain is usually temporary. Take comfort knowing that the second and third trimesters will bring many more changes–and that one of them will be less or no breast pain.
You're breastfeeding
Your baby’s mouth at your breast is perfectly natural, but it can also cause discomfort and pain. You may feel pain when the baby first latches onto your nipple or if his or her mouth isn’t positioned correctly. The first goes away, and the second can be fixed by repositioning the baby.The wetness of your baby’s mouth may also cause painful chapped and cracked nipples. Talk to a doctor or lactation counselor about how to handle these symptoms, as they can lead to infections, including yeast infections.
Your boobs might also hurt when you’re breastfeeding if you have an infection in the milk ducts. If you do, “the milk ducts are very swollen,” says Dr. Wu. “They may get clogged and backed up.” Contact your doctor if pain in your breast while you’re nursing lasts more than a couple of days.
http://www.health.com/breast-cancer/breast-pain
